New bar, lobby set to transform iconic Coast resort
It was two years on the market but its new owners are wasting no time transforming an iconic Sunshine Coast resort.
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A NEW bar at Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort will be the "heart of the resort" and forms the centrepiece of a redeveloped lobby set to transform guests' first impressions.
Set to open next month, the new lobby will retain its original high ceilings and arches while creating an indoor-outdoor space that flows to a new deck with a view of the lagoon.
Executive assistant manager Rachel Smith said the new deck would connect a restaurant and bar, and flow indoors to the lobby lounge.
When the new lobby is complete, guests will be able to see the water from the palatial main entrance, originally designed in the 1980s but soon to have a modern twist.
"The architecture will stay - we're preserving that," she said.
"We feel it's part of our journey and our history.
"It'll be transformed, and you'll be able to look through the glass doors at the end of the lobby and out to the lagoon."
Guests in sarongs and swimmers will be welcome to lounge at the outdoor bar, while restaurant and indoor bar areas could cater for casual or formal functions.
"It'll give you that sense of indoor-outdoor, and there'll be four different spaces there, from food, beverage and entertainment perspective," she said.
"The bar will be the heart of the resort."
The redevelopment is the second step in a plan to transform the space since new owners Shakespeare Property Group bought the resort, which is managed by Accor, for $80 million in June last year.
The Sunshine Coast Convention Centre opened in May, and combined with the existing Wandiny room provides a total capacity of 2500 people.
The new bar and lobby space will allow the resort to offer a full dining experience to all its live-in conference guests, Ms Smith said.
"We've probably doubled the space we had traditionally to host from a food and beverage perspective," she said.
"It'll give our guests a better perspective - to sit and relax and enjoy the vista of the lagoon, which is our number one asset for the resort itself."
The new bar would make the resort more accessible to Sunshine Coast residents, who sometimes missed out in peak periods because the current bar was full with guests, Ms Smith said.
"It reconnects us to our local market a lot better," she said.
She said she it would be the perfect location for a relaxing Sunday afternoon drink.
"It allows us to host those really big groups and events, too," she said.
In November the resort will be showcased to the statewide tourism industry when its new convention centre hosts the Queensland Tourism Awards.
"We're aiming to be the premium resort on the Sunshine Coast," Ms Smith said.
A few weeks ago the resort dropped Twin Waters from its title, opting for Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort.
"Twin Waters will always be part of our DNA" but the new name reflected its new focus.
The new lobby and bar was designed by Medhurst Architects and is being built by local builder Build 4 U and it's due to open next month.
Originally published as New bar, lobby set to transform iconic Coast resort